Printing-plate.



No. 636,504. Patented Nov. 7, I899. J. s. DUNCAN.

PRINTING PLATE.

(Application filed Feb. 6, 18994 f /& $4

/3 @I T2 26% .5 MES 10 10 AMI QQQELQIH3 I E m 'e a e a a a 'o m m m m mu a da I E a u a a a u '3 l3 Q U D G B E GI UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH S. DUNCAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE ADDRESSO- GRAPHCOMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

PRINTING-PLATE.

srncrrrcnrron forming part of Letters Patent No. 636,504, dated November7, 1899. Application filed February 8,1899. Serial No. 704,950- (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J osEPH S. DUNCAN, of Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Printing-Plates,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to printing-plates adapted for use inaddressing-machines, such plates having flat metal bodies having char:acters punched or impressed therein or otherwise applied thereto, andhas for its object to so construct these plates that they may be joinedtogether so as to form a band or chain of plates adapted for use inmachines, such, for instance, as that set forth in Letters Patent No.558,936, granted to me April28, 1896,

for improvements in addressing-machines.

The particular object of the present invention is to so construct theseplates that they may be readily and quickly articulated and when thusarticulated will maintain their connection with each other under allordinary conditions of use and While readily separable by particularmanipulation for that purpose will not become accidentally separated.

To these ends the invention consists in certain novel features, which Iwill now proceed to describe and will then particularly point out in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a portion of a band orchain composed of plates constructed in accordance with my invention,three such plates being shown articulated together. Fig. 2 is an edgeview of the same; Fig. 3, a central vertical sectional view taken on theline 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a view of the back or reverse of two ofthe plates articulated together. Fig. 5 is a front or face View of amodified form of plate. Fig. 6 is an end view of the plate shown in Fig.5. Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 7 7 of Fig. 5, and Fig.8 is a central sectional View taken on a line corresponding with theline 3 3 of Fig. 1 and showing two of the plates turned into a positionto permit their engagement or disengagement with each other.

In carrying out my invention I employ a plurality of plates 10, of sheetmetal, which are when employed in the embodiment of my invention in itspreferred form of a material such as to be capable of being somewhatflexed or bent and preferably resilient or elastic to an extentsufficient to resume its normal shape when released. Each plate isprovided upon one of its edges with two tongues or project-ions 11, eachhaving a narrow portion or neck 12 immediately adjacent to the edge ofthe plate and laterally-projecting lugs 13 at its outer end. Thesetongues or projections 11 are located near the ends of one of the longedges of the plate and are deflected downward or rearward at an anglethereto, as clearly indicated in Figs. 2, 6, 7, and 8. Upon this sameedge the plate is provided with a central locking tongue or projection14, which is also inclined rearward or downward from the body of theplate, as shown more particularly in Figs. 3 and 8. posite edge of theplate or the adjacent edge of the adjoining plate is turned over to forma flange 15, which lies on the same side of the body of the plate as thetongues or projections 11 and 14 and which is preferably inclined' inapproximately the same direction. This same edge is provided at pointscorresponding with the location of the tongues or projections 11 withnotches or recesses 16, said notches or recesses being of a width equalto that of the narrow portions or necks- 12 of said tongues. Each ofsaid notches or recesses 16 is provided at its central portion with alug 17, extending rearward at about a right angle to the body of theplate. Upon one side, and that the same side of each of the notches orrecesses 16, the flange 15 is provided with an extension or stopprojection 18, which extends beyond the body of the flange in the samedirection, these stop projections being shown as located on the righthand of the notches or recesses 16 in Fig. 4 of the drawings. On thissame edge of the plate there is provided at the center thereof a notchor recess 19 of a width corre sponding with that of the locking tongueor projection 16, and on each side of said notch or recess 19 there islocated a stop projection 20, preferably formed by an extension of theflange 15 on each side of -the notch or recess.

In assembling these plates as thus constructed the tongued edge of oneplate is placed adjacent or opposite to the recessed The opedge of theother plate, the two plates being placed at such an angle to each otherthat the edges of the flange 15 adjacent to the recesses 16 lie in" aplane outward beyond the side edges of the narrow or neck portions 12 ofthe tongue 11. Such a position is shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings,although the parts are in proper position for engagement when the angleof the plates is not as acute as that shown in said figure; The platesare then approached to each other in a laterally-otfset position, theplate with the tongued engaging edge lying slightly to that side of theplate with the recessed engaging edge opposite to the side on which thestop-lugs 18 are located. When in this position, the locking-tongue 14will rest upon one of the lugs 20. By a slight deflection or bending ofone or both of the plates the tongues 11 may be pushed under the flange15 and then moved laterally until the projections 13 at one side of saidtongues pass underneath the stop projections 18. The plates may then bemoved laterally into alinement, when the locking-tongue 14 will springinto the recess 19, seating itself between the two stop-lugs 20, and atthe same time the edge of the necks 12 will come in contact with thestop-lugs 18, so that further movement of the plates in that directionis prevented, while the engagement of the tongue 19 between the twostop-lugs 2O prevents lateral movement of the plates relatively to eachother in either direction. The plates may then be swung up into the sameplane, as indicated in Figs. 1 to 4: of the drawings, and in thismovement and during the time that the plates are united the outermostportion of the tongues 11, with their end-projecting lugs 13, ride inthe space formed between the flange 15 and projections 17. It will benoticed that the lugs 13 bear upon the inner or under side of the flange15 at each side of the recesses 16, while the edge of the body of thetongues 11 bears against the lugs 17, so that since the flange and lugsbear upon opposite sides of the tongues and inclose the greater portionthereof the plates are practically hinged together. The plates canonlybe disengaged by moving them laterally or endwise relatively to eachother, and throughout their ordinary reach of movement or until they arebrought at a comparatively sharp angle to each other such lateralmovement is rendered impossible by the engagement of the edges of theneck portions 12 with the adjacent edges of the recesses 16. Whenbrought to such an angle, as is necessary for their final disengagement,they are still prevented from being separated at all in one direction bythe stop-lugs 18, while their movement in either direction is preventedby the engagement of the locking tongue or projection 19 with thestop-lugs 20, which lie on each side of it. By springing the platesslightly, however, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig.8, the lockingtongue or projection 14 may be drawn outward beyond the plane of thelugs 20, whereupon the plates may be moved laterally relatively to eachother in such a direction as will carry the tongues 11 and the stop-lugs18 away from each other, and as soon as the lugs 13 pass clear of theflange 15 the plates will be disengaged.

WVhile this description of the operation of engaging and disengaging theplates requires considerable space, as a matter of fact the plates canbe separated and rearticulated almost instantly and without theemployment of any appreciable force by any one familiar with theirconstruction and operation, and while thus readily separable and adaptedto be joined together with equal facility there is practically nopossibility of their accidental separation while in use. It will be seenthat the plates are locked together, except when brought to acomparatively sharp angular relation, whether or not the lockingprojections 14 and stop-lugs 20 be employed, and under somecircumstances these projections may be omitted, although I prefer theparticular form hereinbefore shown and described.

In Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8 of the drawings I have shown a form of platein which the printing characters are struck up from the body of theplate, so as to appear in relief thereon, the plate itself furnishingthe material from which the printing-surface is formed. My invention isnot, however, limited to this particular form of plate, but isapplicable to plates to which the printing characters are applied in anysuitable manner.

In Figs. 5, 6, and 7 I have shown a form of plate in which a pluralityof guideways are provided by means of lugs 21 struck up from the metalof which the body of the plate is composed and inclined outwardly towardeach other, being arranged in parallel rows, as shown. These guidewaysare adapted to receive strips 22, having beveled edges, by means ofwhich they are adapted to fit and be held between the lugs 21, beingslid into position endwise and being removable in the same manner. Thesestrips are provided with suitable printing characters, and by this meanschanges in the reading matter carried by the plate may be readilyeffected by removing one or more of the strips and substituting othershaving thereon the desired matter. With plates thus constructed aportion of the address may be changed to suit the circumstances withoutdiscarding the entire plate, as would be necessary in the case of thetype of plates shown in Figs. 1 to 4.

The details of construction hereinbefore described and shown in thedrawings may obviously be modified without departing from the principleof my invention, and I therefore do not wish to be understood aslimiting myself to such details.

I claim- 1. The herein-described printing band or chain, comprising aplurality of plates, each provided upon one edge with tongues havinglaterally-extending lugs and having its opposite edge bent to form aflange and provided with recesses having rearwardly-extending lugs, thetongues of one plate being adapted to fit the recesses of the adjacentplate and to be engaged between the flange and lugs thereof,substantially as described.

2. The herein-described printing band or chain, comprising a pluralityof elastic plates having on their meeting edges interlocking recessesand projections adapted to be engaged bya lateral movement of the platesrelatively to each other, one edge of said plates being provided with alocking-tongue and the other with a locking-recess, said locking tongueand recess being adapted to be engaged and disengaged by slightlyspringing the plates and serving when in engagement to prevent lateralmovement of the plates, substantially as described. 1

3. The herein-described printing band or chain, comprising a pluralityof plates, each provided on one edge with tongues havinglaterally-projecting lugs to form pintles and with a locking-lug, and onits other edge with a flange and with recesses havingrearwardlyextending lugs therein to receive the pintletongues of theadjacent plate and with a locking-recess to receive the locking-tongueof the adjacent plate, substantially as described.

4. The herein-described printing band or chain, comprising a pluralityof plates, each having upon one of its edges inclined tongues havinglaterally-projecting lugs and a locking-tongue, and having its oppositeedge bent to form a flange and provided with recesses havingrearwardly-projecting lugs therein, stop projections located at one sideof said recesses, and a locking-recess provided with stop projectionslocated on each side thereof, substantially as described.

JOSEPH S. DUNCAN. Witnesses:

L. F. MOCREA, FREDERICK O. GooDWIN.

